St. Clair County Resource Recovery Office

Household
Solvents

Household solvents contain the same chemicals as strictly regulated industrial solvents.
Many solvents are poisonous when swallowed or absorbed through the skin and lungs
and most are flammable. When solvents are disposed of improperly-in the trash, on
the ground or down a drain-the hazardous chemicals may contaminate lakes, streams
and ground water. Many chemicals found in landfills contaminate ground water, but
solvents are a primary concern.

This fact sheet provides instructions for household solvents disposal. The St. Clair
County Resource Recovery Office also has fact sheets on how to dispose of other
common types of household hazardous waste:

LEFTOVER SOLVENTS: Use Them Up!The best thing to do with leftover solvents is to use them up or store them
for later use! When using solvents be sure to follow safety instructions on the
container label.

If you cannot use your solvents, give them to someone who can. Give leftover solvents
to:

USED PAINT THINNER: Recycle It!
Paint thinner that has been used to clean up paintbrushes and supplies can be
cleaned and reused. Follow these easy steps:

Step 1: Work in an outdoor area, away form children and pets. Never smoke
while handling paint thinner, and work away from sparks, heat and flame. Wear the
protective clothing suggested on the product label for working with the solvent,
and avoid breathing solvent fumes.

Step 2: Pour the used thinner into a transparent container with a good seal
and store it in an area away form children, pets, and sources of heat or flame.
In a few weeks or months, depending on how much used solvent you have, the dissolved
paint will settle to the bottom of the container.

Step 3: When the pain has settled, carefully pour the clean solvent off the
top. This thinner can be reused, and used thinner can be recycled this way several
times.

Step 4: Pour the remaining paint sludge back into your oil-based paint. If
you can't do this, you can allow the remaining paint sludge to dry completely-outdoors
in an area away form children, pets and flames or sparks-and place it in the trash.
Drying out the leftover sludge is not the preferred method because the chemicals
are being released to the air; therefore, homeowners should handle the sludge by
pouring it back into the oil-based paint.

DISPOSAL: When you can't use it up.

For leftover scrapings from paint-stripping projects:The dried scrapings from paint-stripping projects can be thrown away in your
regular trash, unless you suspect that stripped paint contained lead. If the paint
contained lead, the scrapings should be taken to household hazardous waste collection.
Call the St. Clair County Resource Recovery Office at (810) 985-2443 for collection
dates and times. Until then, store the scrapings in a plastic bag or other sealed
container away from children and pets.

For all other solvents:If you can't use the product up, or find someone to use it up, the only way
to dispose of household solvents is through a household hazardous waste collection
program. Call the St. Clair County Resource Recovery Office for further information
on collection programs.

ENVIROMENTAL TIPS FOR CONSUMERS
Disposal of solvents is an environmental problem. And, it can be an inconvenience,
too. To avoid future problems with leftover solvents, be a careful consumer now!

Make sure that a solvent is needed for your project before you buy one. Some non-hazardous
alternatives are avail-able.

Buy only the amount of solvent you need. Buy the smallest container available.